2008 Season Outlook

WILLIAMSTOWM, MA — It’s over.

That’s the simple message Williams College baseball coach Bill Barrale chose to relay to his team during one of the first official meetings of the preseason.

His message was clear: Leave 2007 behind. The 27 wins, the NESCAC title (Williams’ first since 2001) and the trip to the NCAA Tournament.  That season, and the nine seniors who helped the Ephs achieve those goals, are long gone.

“We’re starting fresh,” Barrale said. “Remember it, and build on the positives we can take from that season going forward. The captains (James DiCosmo and Max Pinto) have already done a great job this year, getting everybody on the same page, and getting everybody excited.”

Even with a fresh start and the loss of those nine seniors, Barrale has put together a solid roster. Only three positions in the field will have newcomers, and the top four hitters (batting average) return, although they all had limited at-bats. On the mound, the Ephs have three of their four top starters from a year ago.

Pinto and DiCosmo — along with sophomore Robin Allemand, the 2007 NESCAC Co-Rookie of the year — give the Ephs a formidable trio at the top of their line-up. Pinto batted .300 and slugged .531 for the Ephs last spring, then took advantage of an opportunity in the New England College Baseball League (NECBL) by hitting .342 for the nearby North Adams SteepleCats, good for eighth in the highly-respected league.

DiCosmo hit .316 last season and is known for his bunting and hit and run abilities. Allemand, who will move from third base to shortstop this season, hit .378 for Williams with a slugging percentage of .571. He had 11 doubles and four triples in only 98 at-bats, and stole a team-high nine bases.

Other top hitters who return include Zach Stone (.409 in 22 ABs), Chad Brown (.387 in 31 ABs), Taylor Mikell (.350 in 60 ABs), Barrett Allison (.308 in 13 ABs) and senior Kevin Flynn (.301).

“I think we’re going to have some depth this year,” Barrale said. “We have a lot of good ballplayers who you would want in the line-up. We’ll have some guys on the bench who I won’t hesitate to bring into the game.”

Williams did lose its 3-4-5 hitters from a 27-10 season in which they hit .327 and scored 254 runs (6.8 per game). Chances are that this year, the personnel will have to be a little more creative with stolen bases, hit and runs and running the bases aggressively to equal that total.

“We are a little quicker team, so we’ll play some more small ball,” Barrale said. “We have to do the little things right; put the ball in play, hit and run, etc.”

In the field, things look to play out this way: At first base, Stone and Mikell will likely see time, with Mikell also seeing time at designated hitter and Stone doing some pitching.  DiCosmo and Allemand make up the double-play combo, and Barrett Allison will be given the first look at third base, with first-year Tom Tysse making it a competition.

In the OF, Pinto will be in center and Flynn in left. Right field is open with Trey Pendery, Brown, Al Mathews and first-years Pat Barren and Bryce Bennett all getting looks. One of Barrale’s toughest tasks is to find a catcher to replace All-NESCAC catcher Chris Kenney.  In the preseason, junior Ryan Webster, Brown, sophomore Tom Coleman and first-year James Allison have all impressed in one category or another.

On the mound, there will be competition, but Barrale fully expects veterans Dan Benz and Ben Horwitz, two junior lefties, and senior Matt Gustafson, to emerge at the head of the back. Sophomore Paul Burgdorf will either start or replace Sam Tuttle in the closer’s role.

First-years Wilson Barr, Brett DeWare and Dan Marcet and sophomore Nick Daen, who was out last season with an injury, will all push the first four. Other guys battling Burgdorf in the closer’s role include Coleman and Stone, and don’t overlook first-year Tom Hester.

“With the schedule we’re playing in Arizona, you need a lot of arms, and we have a ton of good options,” Barrale said. “Benz and Horwitz are very good, and they are probably the two hardest working guys on the team; they set a great example. Matt Gustafson has had a strong preseason. Those three will pitch a lot of innings.”

The NESCAC West is wide open, with Williams, Middlebury, Amherst and Hamilton all very talented.

“There aren’t going to be any easy series, that’s for sure,” Barrale said. “We have a young team, so what we did this year in preseason was scrimmage a lot more and it’s been good. Time will tell how we do this season.”

The Ephs open their season in Arizona with a doubleheader against Albertus Magnus March 17 beginning at 9:30 a.m. Mountain time. Some of the Eph baseball games during the Spring Break trip to Arizona will be available on TEAMLINE, a pay to listen service. The Arizona broadcasts will be audio only. You can access the Arizona games offered on TEAMLINE by going to the TEAMLINE Schedule.